She’s the Real Deal
Truly, this woman represents BADASS at her BEST!
She had only a 2 % chance of survival - was in septic shock, put on life support and placed into a coma. Due to respiratory and multiple organ failure, this seemingly healthy and vibrant 19 year-old snowboarder was rushed to the hospital. She later had both of her legs amputated above the knee and had her spleen removed. Doctors said she would never walk again…
Her name is Amy Purdy and I had the incredible fortune to hear her speak at a recent health and finance conference. Through this harrowing life-altering experience Amy chose not to give up- not to crawl into a hole of sorrow and depression - but rather to challenge herself through years of physical therapy, rehabilitation and mechanical engineering of new feet and lower extremities to regain the use of her legs and fulfill her ultimate passion of snowboarding.
At the age of 21, 3 months after receiving a kidney transplant, she entered into the USASA National Snowboarding Championship where she won medals in 3 events. Today she is the most decorated Paralympic snowboarder in the U.S. History and a three-time Paralympic Medalist.
On the huge screen, a video blazed with sound and color showing Amy with her partner, winning a second place performance on Dancing with the Stars, doing the Cha-Cha. I was amazed- How could this woman, with no sensation in her legs, dance so gracefully across the floor? Making sharp precise turns on her teetering metallic prosthetics? Chills ran down my back, tears pooled in my eyes and warmth filled my heart.
How did this woman overcome such a life-altering experience? How did she make the choice to live? What gave her the power to achieve so much? In answering, she smiled and told us,
“Make adversity your ally. Don’t think of life’s obstacles as negatives, but actually positives - things that will push you farther than you’ve ever been… I never regret going through this experience. I wouldn't have changed a thing.”
Now that’s a woman who is truly BADASS! BADASS enough to take life by the horns and make the conscious decision to live life to its fullest, writing a book, On My Own Two Feet, which became a New York Times Best Seller, now published world-wide in 10 different languages.
Amy is such an inspiration - for living, choosing to overcome obstacles - many of us with two feet would never experience.
Life presents you with challenges every day. Some may appear overwhelming and unmanageable - but what if you were to change your mindset? Change it from negativity to positivity with unfaltering determination? Dreams so big that your eyes light up?
Now that’s what I call “BADASS”!
- In health and happiness
Please join me for GETTING YOUR BADASS BACK Masterclass on Thursday, April 27 at 5 pm PST. Click on the link here!